Son of the Serpent
by LiquidAsh
Summary: AU. A few days after Kyuubi is sealed, Orochimaru and Anko take Naruto away from Konoha.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **This isn't an AU for nothing. In this story, Orochimaru's still the evil bastard we all know but he's also a good father-figure to Naruto and Anko, who he doesn't abandon. Also, Orochimaru defected _after_ Kyuubi was killed.

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I don't own Naruto. Dammit.

**Prologue**

Night had befallen the Village Hidden in the Leaf and the citizens of the village were up and about, ready to start celebrating once more.

Parties and celebrations had been a nightly ritual ever since the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the King of the Youma, had been defeated four days ago. Finally, the feared monster no longer ravaged their country. The villagers could now breathe easier, knowing that it wasn't roaming free.

Of course, the consequences of the victory would seep into them sooner or later. Many lives had been destroyed and lost during the mostly one-sided battle but the villagers ignored that fact for the time being. Now was a time for celebrating. They would seen realize that victory didn't mean that the dead were brought back to life.

A tall man with long black hair surveyed the bright lights and the smiling faces with a sneer. Their behavior was disgusting. Beside him, a young girl with purple hair looked around in confusion at the villagers.

They had lost so much and yet they were rejoicing?

The man started walking towards the local orphanage and the girl quickly followed her mentor.

Amidst the festivities, the two went unnoticed.

A few hand seals later and the occupants of the orphanage, not being skilled shinobi, were soon fast asleep and oblivious to the things happening under their own roof.

The two shinobi separated and looked through the rooms of the building, in search of something. It didn't take too long for the girl to find what, or rather who, they were looking for. It was, after all, the only baby with its own room.

The young kunoichi looked down curiously at the sleeping baby in the crib. For someone who contained such a powerful being, you'd think there would be ANBU guards surrounding the gaki left and right.

Then again, a fierce battle had just occurred and the shinobi forces of the Leaf had suffered plenty of casualties. The newly reinstated Hokage probably didn't have any shinobi to spare, busy as he was with the restoration of Konoha to its former glory. That and the villagers had yet to express any hostile intentions to the vessel of the demon. The Third probably thought everyone would live in perfect harmony.

She snorted at the thought. If she'd learned anything about the villagers of Konoha, it was that they were hardly forgiving. Their fangs would be bared as soon as the euphoria of victory faded and they found out the number of casualties.

An affectionate hand on her head snapped her out of her thoughts and she turned her eyes to her mentor. He gave her a look of approval for finding the vessel so quickly before he turned his on eyes to the occupant of the crib, the container of the strongest bijuu there ever was, as well as the son of the now deceased Yondaime.

A smirk appeared on the man's pale face as various images of the future appeared on his head, all of them depicting the fulfillment of his goals. Oh, what fun he would have!

"Anko-chan, get me another baby from the next room," spoke the man, elegance only those born of nobility had in his voice.

If she found the order odd, Mitarashi Anko did not show it. Almost immediately, she moved to follow her mentor's orders and quickly left the room.

The man leaned over the crib and looked at the baby carefully. Naruto, was it? Such an ugly name for someone with so much potential. He would have been tempted to change it to something more suitable had he not wanted to see the looks of horror on Sandaime's and the villagers' faces when they realized just who it was that was raining death and destruction on their village.

An amused chuckle escaped the man's mouth, causing the quiet baby to stir but not wake.

Anko soon reentered the room, delicately carrying a child who looked to be only a year older than the container. As her mentor picked the vessel up, she laid the replacement in its place, already knowing what was going to happen. Anko's hands were once again occupied when the older shinobi handed her the sleeping vessel.

"Hold your new otouto for a moment, Anko-chan," he said before turning back to the crib.

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama," was the young genin's reply. As Orochimaru did the seals for a Henge, Anko stared at the bundle in her arms, one thought prominent in her mind. _My otouto…Then…that means Orochimaru-sama will be my father…_ A rush of joy went through Anko at the thought. In the girl's eyes, he had already been her father ever since he'd taken her under his wing but still she felt happiness at the thought that she could call him father.

Smoke erupted from the crib as soon as the Snake Sannin finished the jutsu. The baby that was in the crib now looked exactly like the baby in Anko's arms. Same tuft of blonde hair and same black markings on the stomache. The purple-haired girl admired her mentor's work for a moment. If she didn't know any better, she would say that the Yondaime had managed to separate Kyuubi into two entities and had sealed those entities into twins.

The Henge Orochimaru had done was different from the normal one. Only upper chuunins, genjutsu specialists and above would be able to detect it. But it would be enough not to arouse the suspicions of the caretakers of the orphanage, giving time for Orochimaru and Anko to escape with the Kyuubi container.

The sannin and the genin quickly left the orphanage and headed towards the gates of Konoha. Once there, Anko stopped briefly and looked back at the village, the buildings and the people.

"Take a good long look, Anko-chan," said the sannin as he strapped the baby to his back to make for easier and faster movement. "You likely won't see it for at least ten years."

Although she would not be missing the hypocritical villagers one bit, she couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of regret as she got ready to leave it. Konoha had been the only home she'd known. Then again, she was sure she'd be comfortable wherever Orochimaru decided to settle them.

"I'm ready, Orochimaru-sama," murmured the genin as she tore her gaze away from the village.

Orochimaru nodded and with a burst of speed, the two had left Konoha.

**A/N: **Well, that's it for the Prologue of Son of the Serpent. I'll try to update as soon as possible. If you've got any questions about it, just put it in a review or send me a PM.

Also, I know it's still an early stage to ask about this, but, in your opinion, what should the pairing be? (No Yaoi please.)

-Naruto/Tayuya

-Naruto/Kin

-Naruto/Temari

-Naruto/(Fill in Blank Here)

The more votes for a couple, the more likely I'll put it in the story.

So…Vote and Review!


	2. Chapter One

**A/N: **Thanks to all the readers and especially those who reviewed the first chapter. As for the first result of the pairings:

Naruto/Temari- IIIIIIII

Naruto/Tayuya- IIIIIIIII

Naruto/Kin- IIII

Naruto/Tenten- I

Naruto/Harem- I

Naruto/Hinata/Kin- I

I'm not going to close voting until after a few more chapters. So you've still got time to vote!

**A/N2:** Do you know where Orochimaru's hideout was before he founded Sound? I don't **so** let's pretend it's just a few days away from Suna, kay?

**Disclaimer: **Naruto? Don't own it. Plot? Totally own it! (-.-')

**XXXXXXXX**

**Chapter ONE**

**XXXXXXXX**

Sharp blue eyes narrowed as they landed on the person the owner of the eyes had been following for the last few miles. He wasn't sure if the person was aware she was being followed but Mitarashi Naruto doubted it. He'd been developing his stealth skills and he was quite pleased with his progress. Naruto had made sure not to breathe too loud and not to break any branches as he followed his target through the dense forest. His attire blended in with the forest and he was also sure that his blonde hair hadn't been noticed, seeing as he was using a black bandana to cover it.

Speaking of his target…she had stopped walking and was now just standing there, doing absolutely nothing.

A frown developed on Naruto's face. What was she doing? Was she waiting for someone? That couldn't be it. Naruto had found out what he could about her mission and he knew she was doing this mission alone.

Well, no matter. He would just have to ask her himself. Jumping onto a tree right behind her, Naruto pushed himself off the branch, aiming himself straight at her. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he saw his target getting closer and closer. The smile promptly disappeared when he went straight through her and ended up sprawled on the forest floor.

"Bunshin?" The six year-old mused as he sat up and rubbed at the bump forming on his scalp. That bump was added to as a fist came seemingly out of nowhere and hit him on the head.

"Baka! What did you think you were doing?" The looming form of Mitarashi Anko stood over Naruto as she glared at the person who in all ways but blood was her little brother.

The Kyuubi container quickly stood up and faced his sister. "I was following you."

Anko snorted in a very unlady-like manner as she raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, ya didn't do a very good job of it now, did ya, bozu? I knew you were following me after the first bunch of leaves were disturbed. Go back home, bozu."

Naruto frowned, crossing his arms across his chest as he released a sigh. "Tou-san is off experimenting again." While he didn't particularly like the experimentation, he knew it would serve to teach him new things and if there was one thing Naruto loved besides his weird little family, it was learning. "That Kabuto guy already left for Leaf and everybody else was too busy to train me so I thought I'd tail you on your mission. Maybe you could teach me how to be better at following someone, nee-chan," he said imploringly. "I know I'm pretty fast and that I'm as good as those twice my age at ninjutsu but I'd be a pretty crappy shinobi if I can't be sneak up on my enemies."

Anko stared at him for a few moments, unblinking. Naruto stared back at her steadily. Finally, the purple haired kunoichi let out a sigh and nodded. The blonde smile, the only sigh that he recognized his small victory.

"So does your mission involve killing someone?" asked the blonde in a nonchalantly but there was eagerness in his eyes.

Any sane adult would have been horrified at the ease in which the child mentioned death but Naruto had started killing ever since he was four and now, like his sister and father, he delighted in the act although his bloodlust wasn't as obvious as Anko's.

His first kill had been a bandit who had betrayed his father. After several minutes of chasing, the container had caught up with him and a quick though slightly messy cut through the throat had taken care of the rat problem. The second one had taken place just a few weeks after his fifth birthday and it had been a low Chuunin level missing-nin from Stone. It wasn't anything special since the shinobi had been exhausted from fighting off five of Anko's Kage Bunshins and a rather nasty genjutsu. Naruto had killed him by twisting his neck. There had been many more after that since he and Anko had tag-teamed a few weeks ago to take out a medium-sized bandit camp to make space for some training grounds.

Anko shook her head at the question. "Nope. I have to deliver a scroll to the Kazekage,"

"_Delivery_?" the blonde said the word as if it was something toxic. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why his father had given such a boring mission to his sister. While he knew that the scroll probably contained something important, this mission was wasted on somebody like her. He bet that new kid, Kimimaro, could have taken care of it and he voiced that thought out to Anko.

"Tou-sama doesn't trust him very much yet and this mission is important to tou-sama's plans," was her reply. An evil grin suddenly crossed Anko's face. "And besides, if we're lucky, we might find some troublesome people on our way to Sunagakure." While she enjoyed killing, she avoided civilians as much as possible, a quirk Naruto, much to Orochimaru's disappointment, had picked up. Both didn't hesitate in dispatching someone…uncooperative, though.

Naruto mirrored her grin and the two set off towards Wind Country.

**XXXXXXXX**

"So this is Sunagakure, huh?" Naruto mused aloud a few days later as the siblings entered the Hidden Village. He cast a surveying glance around and then shrugged. "Doesn't look like much to me."

"Suna's never been one for too much color," agreed Anko with a sage nod.

And it was true, almost everywhere you looked, sand (or at least, the color of it for the buildings) was there. The only bit of color seemed to come from the tiled rooftops, most of which were red. Doing her own looking around, her eyes soon landed on a person in a Chuunin vest and a turban heading their way. She tensed slightly, wondering if the Kazekage had changed his mind about the alliance.

Naruto looked at her when he felt her tense and followed her line of sight. Though it wasn't outward, he quickly slipped into fighting mode, in case this person wasn't friendly.

"Ohayo! Are you the one…" the Chuunin paused for a moment before leaning closer, "Orochimaru-sama sent?"

"Who's asking?" asked Anko, eyeing him carefully and distrustfully.

The Sand-nin bowed slightly. "My name is Baki. Kazekage-sama sent me to bring you to his office," he looked at Naruto then back at Anko. "My apologies but Kazekage-sama told me that there was only one delegate."

Anko glared at Baki for a few moments before turning to her brother and ruffling his hair affectionately, a genuine smile on her face. "Don't go too far, alright, bozu? I'll find you when I finish up with the Kazekage. Ja ne," Naruto nodded and Anko turned back to the Chuunin, the smile disappearing almost instantly. "Let's go."

The six year-old watched his sister walk away for a few moments before strolling off with no destination in mind.

**XXXXXXXX**

An hour later, his wanderings brought him to a nearly deserted playground. His eyebrows raised in interest when he spotted a lone figure standing in the middle of a playground filled with sand. The boy couldn't be older than the blonde container but there was something…off about the redhead. The chakra that surrounded him seemed strangely familiar…yet not at the same time.

As if sensing his scrutiny, the Sand boy turned and stared at him with eyes that looked like they hadn't seen sleep in years. It was a look that was out of place on a six year old.

Something clicked in Naruto's mind as he continued the staring contest between him and the insomniac. This was Sabaku no Garaa, the container of the demon, Shukaku. His father had told him of the other vessel and the blonde had since been intrigued. He'd completely forgotten that Gaara lived in Sunagakure.

_That kind of slip-up won't happen again, _Naruto swore to himself. _A piece of forgotten information could make or break a battle. _ And he was determined to win every battle he participated in.

Their staring contest was cut short when a Jounin arrived on the playground, kneeling before the redhead. Both sets of eyes turned to the new arrival.

"Gaara-san, your tutors are waiting for you," said the Jounin, fear evident in his voice.

The vessel of Shukaku fully turned toward the older shinobi and the Jounin visibly flinched. Gaara walked past him and the Sand-nin let out a sigh of relief, causing Naruto to sneer in disgust. Coward. His sneer transformed into a grin, however, when the Jounin was flung into a tree by a wall of sand. He was beginning to like this Gaara person.

Whistling the tune of a bawdy song he'd heard Anko singing once, Naruto strolled over to the fallen Sand-nin and kicked him in the ribs. The Jounin let out a moan before stilling once again. Still alive. Dammit.

"Oi! Brat!" came Anko's voice from behind him.

Naruto turned around to find his sister standing at the edge of the playground, one hand on her hip and the other gesturing for him to come over. He turned back to the unconscious shinobi at his feet with a sneer before jogging over to Anko.

"Whaddya do to him?" she asked, nodding towards the Sand-nin.

Naruto shrugged. "I didn't do anything," he replied, his hands going into his pockets as they started walking. "Shukaku's vessel did everything."

Anko blinked at this piece of information. From what she'd heard, Shukaku had been sealed into a kid who had been born not long after Naruto. A thought entered her mind and she smiled slightly at what an alliance with a second demon vessel could entail.

The six year old glanced sideways at his sister and outwardly sighed. Only Kami knew what would happen when his sister got that look in her eyes. Most of her ideas were ingenious, he wouldn't deny that, but almost half of them got the two siblings into a shitload of trouble.

"What are you thinking now?" he asked, bracing himself for the answer.

"Shukaku's container," mused Anko out loud, her index finger to her lips. "Do you think he could be convinced to side with us?"

Naruto pondered this for a moment and quickly decided that this was part of the other half of Anko's ideas, the half where they didn't get into trouble. He shrugged in answer to her question. "Maybe, Anko-nee-chan," he said. "But we'll have to speak with tou-san first before we do anything else. Something drastic could break the alliance between tou-san and the Sand."

The kunoichi nodded in understanding. "Hai. But I want you to find out everything you can about Shukaku first," she said, shooting a sideways glance at his stomach.

"I'll talk to Kyuubi-san tonight," agreed Naruto with a nod.

When he had turned five, his father had told him about the demon locked in his stomach. After that, Naruto had started meditating in order to talk to Kyuubi. The two had struck a deal during their first conversation. Kyuubi would help Naruto in tough situations by lending chakra and impart knowledge when he was old enough to understand it and the blonde would let the kitsune feel everything when he killed and that he would let the demon take over sometimes during some of his…excursions. There really was no downside for either of them in their agreement.

**XXXXXXXX**

That night, Naruto sat on his bed, his eyes closed as he concentrated on the demon locked inside him. While they talked on occasion, Kyuubi usually just napped in his cage. A moment later, he appeared in his mindscape, in front of the great cage where the kitsune was kept.

"**_Brat,"_** came Kyuubi's growl as he acknowledged his vessel. **_"What brings you to me?"_**

"Shukaku, Kyuubi-san," replied Naruto, bowing slightly in respect to the millennia-old kitsune. He wasn't stupid; he knew that disrespecting Kyuubi would only cause him trouble. "What can you tell me about him?"

"**_Shukaku, huh?"_** grunted the demon. **_"He's one of my more loyal bijuu. I say jump and he asks 'how high?'. Only a one-tail but still strong. Why do you ask, brat?"_**

"I just met his vessel,"

"**_So Shukaku met with some trouble and got himself sealed, huh?" _**There was amusement in Kyuubi's voice as he mulled over his fellow demon's predicament. **_"He never really was too bright."_**

"Kyuubi-san, do you think he could be convinced to fight on our side?" asked Naruto.

"**_Perhaps. But he is trapped, though. It's his container you'll have to convince," _**said the kitsune, looking as thoughtful as any demon fox could. **_"Tell me about his container, kit."_**

"His name's Sabaku no Gaara and I think he's the Kazekage's son. He's about my age and he looks like he hasn't had sleep in years. He took out a Jounin with ease, though,"

"**_Hmm…Shukaku must be giving him trouble then. That would explain why he hasn't had sleep,"_** mused Kyuubi. **_"To get him on your side, you must gain his respect. To do that, you must stop Shukaku from troubling him. Like I said before, Shukaku will do what I tell him so all you have to do, kit, is to show him who you contain and you will have a one-tailed Tanuki at your bidding."_**

Naruto nodded, a confident smile appearing on his face.

**XXXXXXXX**

The blonde container found Gaara at the playground once again, the next day. The redhead was sitting on the swings but this time, he wasn't alone. A blonde girl who looked to be a few years older was sitting on the next swing, rocking the contraption back and forth while shooting concerned looks at her companion. Both Sand residents looked up when Naruto approached.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at the blonde. "You…You were here yesterday," he said coolly, earning himself a half-scared, half-surprised look from the girl beside him.

"Yup," nodded Naruto as he crossed his arms. "I want to speak to Shukaku."

The girl stood up. "That isn't a good idea," she said, subtly reaching into a pouch strapped at her waist.

"Temari," came Gaara's voice as he, too, stood up. A look was all it took and the girl named Temari stood down, though still looking worried. "How do you know about Shukaku?"

"I'm a container, just like you. Do you want to know who it is I contain?" And without waiting for an answer, red chakra started to form around Naruto as the blonde's eyes turned red. "Your demon's master, the King of the Youma, the greatest of all the bijuu, Kyuubi no Kitsune!"

At the last pronouncement, Gaara stepped back, his hands going to his head as Shukaku fought to get out, to get to his master. "Kyuu**_bi-dono!_**" The redhead's voice turned coarse as the demon inside him finally grasped control.

"**_Shukaku, you will give your vessel your total cooperation,_**" came the growling voice of the Kyuubi. To hear it coming from the body of a six year old, it was quite odd. "**_You will grant him sleep and give him your chakra during battle, understand me?_**"

"**_But Kyuubi-dono!_**"

"**_ARE YOU QUESTIONING MY ORDERS?_**" thundered the kitsune, sending a fierce glare towards the other demon.

Gaara's body recoiled away before bowing low, shaking its head. "**_Never, Kyuubi-dono. I will do as you ask so my vessel will be worthy of following you,_**"

"**_Good. My vessel needs strong allies,_**" muttered Kyuubi. The eyes closed and when they reopened, they were blue once again.

Naruto swayed in his place, as if dizzy before falling onto his knees. Granting Kyuubi control always left him tired in the end. Shaking his head, the blonde got to his feet. Blue eyes met green as Gaara was granted power over his body again.

"Shukaku's voice is gone," said the Sand local shortly.

Beside him, Temari gasped. Gaara had told her once, during one of his weaker moments, that for as long as he could every waking moment, the Tanuki was craving for blood, demanding that her brother appease his hunger. Her eyes traveled to the one who had silenced Shukaku. What could this boy be in a few years time with the power of the Kyuubi at his disposal?

Gaara mumbled something, snapping Temari from her thoughts. She realised then that his mumblings had been a "Thank you."

"Your father and mine are friends," shrugged Naruto. "I guess that makes us friends, as well."

The blonde girl looked at her brother, wondering what his reaction would be to that. The redhead's eyes were shadowed by his hair, his fists were clenched tightly and he was starting to shake. Temari was beginning to think that a massacre was at hand when Gaara looked up. It was then she realised that she was seeing something she didn't think she would ever see from her usually unemotional brother.

Gaara was crying.

**XXXXXXXX**

**A/N: **I realise that Naruto is acting pretty oddly for someone who's been raised by evil incarnate. But he's SIX YEARS OLD. Plus, I've always thought he would always have some kind of goodness in him, no matter his environment. Make no mistake though, Naruto does not feel any remorse when he kills his enemies, in fact, he enjoys it greatly but he will care about his friends.

I know that the Kazekage and Orochimaru aren't really friends but I don't really see a six year old Naruto using the word 'allies'.

As for Naruto having Anko's last name, we don't really know Orochimaru's last name and I'm thinking he discarded it long ago so I decided he would give Naruto the same last name as his sister.

And if anyone's wondering, _bozu_ means squirt. _Dono _means lord or something higher than that.

I think I already know what the pairing of this story will be but voting is still open. Maybe you can convince me to change my mind about it. :D


	3. Chapter Two

**A/N:**I apologize that this took so long but I had trouble with some parts of this chapter since I came down with a bit of writer's block. I'm already done with a bit of the Chuunin exam but for the life of me, I couldn't finish this chapter in time. So, once again, I apologize.

I'd like to thank those who corrected my use of -dono. That will be rectified...soon.

Well, I've decided on the pairing. It will be Naruto/Temari/Tayuya?. The ? girl will be revealed in the much later chapters. If I change my mind, I might decide to throw in a few more girls in the mix. :D

I forgot to explain this in the last chapter but Naruto's skill level is still Genin, a good Genin but a Genin nonetheless. Also, assuming Anko was twelve when she left Konoha, she'd be 18 right now. Her skill level is Jounin right now, seeing as Orochimaru has been training her the past few years.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto and I'm not making any money off of this.

**XXXXXXXX**

**Chapter TWO**

**XXXXXXXX**

Anko stood outside the Kazekage's office, arms across her chest as she glared at the clock hanging on the wall across from her. A vein appeared on her forehead as the kunoichi gritted her teeth in annoyance. She'd never been a patient person and she certainly wasn't going to start being one now.

Trying to calm herself down before she destroyed something (or someone), Anko recalled why she was waiting in this godforsaken lounge to see some asshole on a massive powertrip, otherwise known as the Yondaime Kazekage.

She'd sent word to her father through a summoned snake three days ago about Shukaku's vessel and his reply had arrived just yesterday. His words: "Do what you can to acquire Shukaku but do not endanger the alliance."

So there she was now, waiting and quickly getting sick of it. While she idly wondered if the alliance would be endangered if she completely…redecorated the waiting lounge, the door to the Kazekage's office opened and his Chuunin assistance stepped out. Anko released a sigh. The place could have used some of her…creativity.

"Mitarashi-sama, the Kazekage will you see you now," the assistant informed her.

Anko set him a wicked smile to scare him and take revenge for having been made to wait for so long. She was rewarded when the Chuunin jumped and nearly ran to his desk in fright, muttering about blood. The kunoichi smirked as she entered the village leader's office. Apparently, her reputation preceded her.

"I would appreciate it, Mitarashi-san, if you refrained from terrorizing my assistants in the future," said the Kazekage as the purple-haired teenager closed the door behind her.

Anko bowed but chose not to reply, inwardly sneering. She didn't particularly like shinobis who wasted their time behind their desks. She viewed them as weak and spineless. Obviously, being a Kage wasn't in her near future.

"What brings you to me, Mitarashi-san?" asked the older shinobi, leaning back in his chair.

"Kazekage-sama, my father and I have a request and we beseech you to consider it," said Anko, refraining from making a face. Mitarashi Anko did not usually lower herself so much as to 'beseech' for _anything_. She would have to wash her tongue out later when she got back to the hotel.

The man gestured for her to continue, looking mildly suspicious.

"We would like you to consider letting us train Gaara-san,"

Silence fell on the occupants of the room as the Kazekage stared at the female. Anko met his stare with an unwavering one of her own.

_Letting Gaara go with them would stop the deaths of the villagers and valuable shinobi,_ mused the man, a smile under his veil. He would become their responsibility and the Kazekage could finally wash his hands of his troublesome son.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour to Anko (read: three minutes) the Kazekage nodded his consent. "Very well, Mitarashi-san. I will grant this request. But on two conditions."

"Conditions, Kazekage-sama?" echoed the teenager.

"Yes. The condition that you do not treat him any better tha other children just because he is my son," Obviously, the fool did not know Mitarashi Anko. She hardly gave slack to anybody when it came to training, even her beloved little brother. "The second is that he returns to the village before his twelfth birthday. I would like for him to become a shinobi of the sand."

_Maybe by then he'll have learnt proper discipline and obey my orders, _thought the Kazekage while the kunoichi in front of him considered his words.

"We accept these conditions, Kazekage-sama," answered Anko with a confident nod. Her father wouldn't mind her agreeing without consulting him. After all, she'd be the one doing most of the training while Orochimaru planned and gathered new shinobi and allies for a new hidden village.

The leader nodded. "That's settled, then. When are you leaving?"

The barely veiled eagerness in his voice irritated Anko to no end and she had to restrain herself from hitting him. Not that she could even if he wasn't expecting it. He was a Kage after all and her skill level was only Jounin at best. The difference between the two was, for lack of a better word, big.

"As soon as possible, Kazekage-sama," she replied with a forced smile. "I'll take my leave now." With a stiff bow, Anko left the office, her mind filled with thoughts of her plunging a kunai into the man's chest.

Her thoughts cleared however when she left the building and saw two small figures waiting for her, both looking hopeful. She grinned and gave them a thumbs-up.

Gaara's reaction came in the form of a relieved sigh and eyes that were no longer dead. His companion's, however, was far more enthusiastic.

"YATTA!" yelled Naruto, pumping his fist into the air.

**XXXXXXXX**

Naruto's happy outlook did not last long, however.

"I don't see the point of this exercise," the six year old deadpanned as he hung upside down on a tree branch in the forest a few miles away from the hideout.

"It's to improve your chakra control and also increase your chakra reserves. You can't always rely on Kyuubi-san for help," said Anko, throwing a kunai at her brother, a dango skewer stuck between her teeth.

The blonde leaned to the side, the kunai missing him by several inches. "Then why are you throwing things at me?" he demanded, looking flustered as he crouched to avoid another kunai. "Those things aren't blunted, you know. I could get hurt!"

"Quit your complaining. And it's to improve your dodging and reaction time," replied the kunoichi as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's something I like to call multi-tasking, otouto."

Another thrown projectile, another dodge.

"Multi-tasking sucks," muttered Naruto, using a kunai to deflect a shuriken. While Anko declared a break to munch on more of the dango she had gotten from Sunagakure and left with a threat that he stay sticking to the tree _or else_, his eyes wandered over to Gaara. The redhead was a few feet away sitting down, leaning against the tree and his sand pooling between his legs. The sand was rising to form shapes, though it wasn't really clear to Naruto what shapes they were.

"Ne, Gaara, what are you doing?"

The Tanuki container raised his head and looked over at Naruto. "An exercise Anko-sensei told me to do," he replied tonelessly, turning back to his sand. "I told her about my sand being intelligent."

"And she's training you to have better control over the sand instead of letting it do what it wants?" guessed Naruto, squinting his eyes as Gaara's sand took on the shape of a square…or was that a pentagon?

"Hai," was the only answer he got.

Naruto made a mental note to work on Gaara's social skills in the future before continuing on. "I'm not surprised. Anko-nee-chan usually knows what she's doing when it comes to teaching. When she's not drunk or stuffed with dango, that is," he added with a foxy grin.

A shuriken whizzed just past his head after that statement, nicking his ear. Almost immediately, Kyuubi's chakra healed it but not before a few drops of blood fell onto the forest floor.

The blonde looked in the direction where the shuriken came from and quickly grew nervous when he saw who it was standing there with fists clenched and a knot forming on her head.

"O-ohayo, nee-chan," said Naruto, dread settling in his stomache.

Silence reigned as Gaara watched the two siblings stare at each other. Then, something horrible happened. Anko's expression changed from murderous to saccharine. Naruto started sweating bullets when he saw the change. There was no way this could end well for him.

"Ohayo, Naruto-kun," said the teenager sweetly. "We'll now resume the training, shall we?" Her eyes glinted dangerously as she formed hand seals. With a poof of smoke, four kage bunshins appeared beside her. As one, the six kunoichi withdrew eight kunai each from their pouches, four on each hand. "Get ready, Naruto-kun,"

The blonde container gulped, praying to some higher power that he would come out of this ordeal alive.

"Ikuzo!"

A few miles away, Orochimaru looked up from his work desk and blinked. He could have sworn he'd heard his Naruto's scream and then Anko's cackles. He shook his head and turned back to his desk and the five pictures on it, making a mental note to sleep tonight. The sleep deprivation could not be good for what was left of his sanity.

**XXXXXXXX**

Kuno Toushiro wasn't exactly what one would call a very good shinobi. Sure, he'd graduated from the academy on his first try but he'd been the dead-last of the class. Of course, it didn't help that he had very little talent in any of the three basic Shinobi fields. The only thing he really had going for him was his speed. That was why he'd been appointed as one of the guards to the entrance of the Snake Sannin's hideout. His job was to run to Orochimaru-sama or Anko-sama and inform them of any incoming danger.

He took his job seriously but there were just times that his body rebelled against him. His eyes were drooping slightly since he hadn't had much sleep the night before. He'd been too busy gathering the children Orochimaru-sama had sent him to get.

But those children were far from his mind as sleep finally overtook him.

A few minutes later, Kuno was jarred awake when he felt the pain that could only come from somebody kicking him in the shins.

"You were slacking off, Kuno," was all his attacker had to say.

"I apologize, Naruto-sama," said Kuno, bowing deelp before the six year old. He didn't really respect Naruto and would have killed the annoying brat had he the skills but he needed to keep up appearances. Naruto was the Boss's son, after all. That, and the second-in-command would make him wish he was in hell if he ever thought of laying a violent hand on her otouto. Speaking of the second-in-command…

"Make sure it doesn't happen again," came the disdainful voice of Anko as she gave the guard a glare.

"It will not, Anko-sama," cowered the shinobi.

"It better not. Or else you'd have to be punished," the kunoichi's glare turned into a psychotic grin and Kuno couldn't decide which one was scarier.

He was saved from Anko going into full psychotic mode when Naruto piped up, tugging on his sister's hand impatiently. "C'mon, Anko-nee-chan. I want to introduce Gaara to tou-san."

The teenage girl sighed, the grin fading from her face. "Alright, brat. C'mon, Gaara-kun."

As the two siblings walked off towards the main compond, Kuno threw a glare at the blonde container's back, something that the passing redhead kid with the weird eyes who had arrived with Ako and Naruto did not fail to notice.

Seconds later, Kuno was engulfed in sand.

**XXXXXXXX**

In a room near the center of the compound, Orochimaru paused in his survey of his potential elite when he felt three incoming chakra signatures, two of which he was quite familiar with.

"Orochimaru-sama, does something concern you?" spoke a white-haired teenager, a bit concerned about how his master had abruptly halted in his observation of the four children before him. The children also seemed to be a bit curious as to what had gotten the Sannin's attention but stifled their questions since it felt rather uncomfortable having that scrutinizing gaze directed at them.

The door to the room slammed open and Kaguya Kimimaro got the answer to his question.

"We're back, tou-san!" the rambunctious blonde who had just entered exclaimed loudly and needlessly, running to the dark haired man in the center of the room. A foot away and the demon vessel paused for a moment, bowed respectfully then jumped on his father's back, making the eyes of the other occupants of the room, save Kimimaro's who'd witnessed this before, bulge in the face of such blatant familiarity with their usually unapproachable leader.

"Okaeri, Naruto-chan," said Orochimaru, patting the blonde on the head affectionately before setting him down on the floor as Anko and Gaara appeared at the doorway.

It was then that Naruto noticed the other children, all of them looking to be older than him, in the room.

"Huh? Who are they, tou-san?" he asked, one hand fisted in his father's robes.

"They're going to be some of the best in our village once they are properly trained, Naruto-chan. They will be the Elite," answered Orochimaru with a smile that creeped out most of the room's occupants. "And as of right now, they, along with Gaara-kun, will be under your supervision."

**XXXXXXXX**

**A/N: **I'm not particularly proud of this chapter. Something about it just seems…off to me. And if you haven't already guessed, the children in the room are Kidoumaro, Jiroubo, Tayuya and Sakun (and Ukon).

Next part (whenever I get around to writing it) will have a time-skip. It will probably be only two or three years but who knows? I certainly don't. XP Don't worry, though, there will be flashbacks to fill in the gaps.

As I've already said in the A/N up there, I'm already done with a small bit of the Chuunin Exams. Yeah, I know I'm thinking way too far into the future but that's just how my mind works. I'm stumped however on what will go on between now and then. So…any suggestions?


	4. Chapter Three

**A/N: **I changed my mind. This is farther in to the future than I originally planned. Right now, Naruto's age is about 11, as is Gaara's. The original Sound Four are only a year older than the jinchuuriki are. Haku is two years older than Gaara and Naruto. As for skill levels, Naruto, Gaara and Haku are at Mid-Chuunin level now. If Naruto or Gaara go all out, they can give ten Chuunin or three to four normal Jounin a good fight. The Sound Four are about Rookie Chuunin for now. If all of them (Naruto and Gaara included) are working together, they can take down a small army of Chuunins or a few four-man squads of Jounin, provided they have the element of surprise.

None of them are recognized as any official rank in the village though. Not yet anyways.

At this point, the Sound has already been established. No fighting or take-over was done to accomplish this. All Orochimaru and Anko did was to negotiate with the Daimyo of Rice Country. The Hidden Village of the Sound has been active for half a year now though it will take another year or two to produce the first crop of Genin.

Just a reminder, Haku is a guy in the anime. He will remain a guy in this fic.

**XXXXXXXX**

**Chapter THREE**

**XXXXXXXX**

Soft footfalls as well as the sharp clicks of high heels fell on the damp pavement. It had rained the night before and mist now surrounded the town.

The mist hardly deterred people from making money or having fun though.

"C'mon, lady. Drop the coy act already. We want what we paid for," a lecherous voice said as the footsteps halted in a dark and deserted alley.

"Are you sure it's okay to do it here? Wouldn't it be better in a room at the inn?" came a more nervous voice.

"Well, yeah, if you want to be boring," a sultry, seductive voice that undoubtedly belonged to a woman entered the fray. "Aren't you thrilled by the fact that anyone could catch us at any moment?" Not giving her clients a chance to answer, she continued with a purr. "What did you boys say you did?"

"We're the guards of a very powerful man in the village," puffed the first man, pride clear in his voice. "Ganjyu-sama gave us a few hours off while he's doing paperwork."

The woman gave a thrilled gasp. "Why, you two must be the…stupidest, most idiotic shitheads I've ever met," her voice lost its refined, seductive purr and became just a bit rougher. The disgust in her voice was obvious as well. There was puff of smoke and in the place of the woman was a young girl, no older than 13 it seemed.

The two men just had enough time to blink in confusion before they were held against a nearby wall and rendered unmovable by something akin to silk. They watched in horror as three more kids dropped into the alley. None of them wore forehead protectors but it was obvious from their stances that they were shinobi. Well-trained ones, at that.

"A-are you going to k-kill us?" asked the second guard, looking about ready to pee in his pants.

"Maybe, maybe not. It really all depends on the taichou (1)," answered a pale blue-haired boy who seemed to have another head growing out of his back.

"I hate doing this kind of crap," muttered the girl that had lured them there. "Sakon, you can be bait next time," she said, addressing the same blue-haired boy.

Sakon regarded her with a sarcastic look. "Yeah, because I look just like a girl,"

The redhead's face flushed with anger. "Fine. Haku can be bait, then," she pointed at a figure with long black hair and a porcelain mask covering the face.

The boy with six arms spoke up, a smirk on his face. "Great idea, Tayuya. I mean, Haku's so much prettier than you,"

"Say that again, shithead?" Tayuya growled as she whirled around to face the spider-nin, fist raised and ready to clobber boys stupid enough to anger her.

"You heard me, red," retorted the spider-nin.

Just as Tayuya was about to pounce on him and beat him into the ground, the person they had called Haku spoke up. "Naruto-taichou would not like you fighting with each other," he said in a calm voice as Tayuya's hand fisted in Kidoumaru's shirt.

The redheaded girl muttered curses under her breath before releasing her hold on Kidoumaru who smirked arrogantly.

"Maa, Haku, it's alright. I sorta enjoyed watching it," a blonde shinobi dressed in dark clothes remarked cheerfully as he and two others dropped onto the scene. "Mission accomplished. The money's with Jiroubo," he said, nodding towards the briefcase the larger of the two he'd had with him was carrying. "If we leave now, we can deliver the money by tonight and get home by tomorrow afternoon."

"Taichou, what about these two here?" Sakon asked, indicating the people they'd trapped.

Naruto spared them a disinterested glance. "Release them," he ordered. "They've served their purpose. Ganjyu gave up the money easily when I said we'd kill them and pin their murder on him. Our client was right. His reputation is everything to him."

"Oi, taichou! I've got a bone to pick with you," snarled Tayuya as she stomped up to him. "Why do I always have to be the bait, huh? And why is it always a prostitute when it comes to guys like these? They had their hands all over me. It was absolutely disgusting and I…"

The blonde's eye twitched. It was barely perceptible to the two men held against the wall but it was all too obvious to the trained shinobi. Even Tayuya stopped in the middle of her rant. All eyes were now on the Kitsune container.

"You…," breathed Naruto, barely supressing his killer intent as he turned towards the two guards. "You dared lay your filthy paws on Tayuya-chan, trash!" His hand clenched and unclenched as he walked over to them, blue eyes becoming slitted and a deep red.

A strong scent permeated the air as one of the men lost complete control of his bladder but hardly anybody noticed.

It was a well-known fact in the Sound that anyone outside of Naruto's team who so much laid a lecherous hand on the redhead would suffer the young taichou's anger. The last one had been left alive only because Orochimaru needed more shinobi. Naruto didn't push the issue much if Tayuya got hurt during a fight. She was a kunoichi, after all, wounds were an occupational hazard. But if any man, save a select few, touched her out of a spar, the blonde went out of his way to ensure they suffered.

"I-I-It w-wasn't me who d-did it. I n-never laid a h-hand on her. I-It was him," whimpered one man pitifully, turning against his companion in an effort to save his own hide.

Naruto released a growl, glaring at the one who had talked. He got a kunai from his weapons pouch and cut the man loose from Kidoumaru's bindings. The freed man fell to the ground and sobbed in relief before making a run for it. However, his joy at being freed was shortlived. The same kunai that had released him flew threw the air and imbedded itself into his back.

"Anyone who turns against a comrade is a coward. I _hate _cowards," Naruto snarled ferally. "Of course, that doesn't mean I'm going to take any pity on you just because you were betrayed," he addressed the one still alive. "The moment you laid a hand on Tayuya-chan, you sealed your fate as one of the test subjects of a jutsu my nee-chan and I created."

The Sound-nins present winced slightly at the man's fate. The jutsu the siblings created, some with the help of their father, were always in the bracket of B-ranked to S-ranked. Most of them were fatal, those that weren't…you'd wish they were.

A sadistic smile appeared on the Kitsune container's face as he started on the seals, ending with Nezumi.

Years later, people of the village would swear they could still hear the unfortunate man's agonized screams ringing into the night.

**XXXXXXXX**

It was a cheerful Naruto who made his way back to the Hidden Village of the Sound with his teammates. The cheerful mode was always present after he tested any of his jutsu. A curious look replacing his fox grin, the blonde turned his head slightly to observe his friends. When he wasn't in a particular hurry, he liked to study those around him.

Haku, who was farther ahead than the others, acting as scout, radiated waves of apprehension. He'd been placed under Naruto's command six months ago when he and his mentor, an A-ranked missing-nin from the Mist named Momochi Zabuza, had sought refuge in the Sound. Naruto had been told that the effeminate boy was a genius and the demon container was inclined to agree. The former mist-nin was quick, strong and knew how to turn the battle in his favor. The only drawback when it came to Haku was the the boy was still a bit squeamish though his first kill had been a few months ago.

Tayuya, who always traveled on his left (with Gaara on the right), specialised in genjutsu though she'd been taught a few ninjutsu and basic taijutsu just so she wouldn't be helpless when her genjutsu were dispelled.

She was unusually quiet but was traveling closer to him than normal. She was always like this whenever Naruto went out of his way to prolong a death to guard her 'honor'. She didn't approve of it, she'd already said as much. The redhead prided herself on being self-sufficient and needed no one to avenge her. That didn't mean she _hated _him doing those things for her. With her, Naruto had always had to dig underneath and think hard of his actions. Until now, he wasn't quite sure, though he had a small idea, of what would set her off or what would make her blush.

Of the four people Naruto had first taken charge of many years ago, the only girl had always been the most difficult.

**Flashback**

Orochimaru had already left the room with Anko, leaving Kimimaro to supervise. Gaara stood beside Naruto and both jinchuuriki were staring at the four before them.

The awkward silence that had fallen on the room was broken when the small girl snorted and turned away, drawing all attention to herself.

Naruto blinked at this. "What's wrong?" he asked, face contorting into a frown.

Silence greeted him. Finally, the large boy next to the girl stepped in. "Oi, Tayuya, he asked you a question,"

"I heard him," Tayuya said gruffly. She gave her newly instated leader a sideways glance before answering, "Everyone tells us you're such a great and powerful person just because you were raised by Orochimaru-sama. All I see is a midget who can't be older than me." Her tiny arms crossed, she gave him a challenging look. "I say prove that you're as good as they say you are."

The others nodded in agreement but they looked a bit nervous, as well. She couldn't live long right after she had blatantly disrespected their supreme leader's son. They were almost afraid to look at the blonde and when they did, what they saw floored them.

Mitarashi Naruto was grinning widely and it wasn't even the psychotic grin his sister was widely known (and feared) for. No, this grin was genuine.

Even the redhead was taken aback by it.

"I like you," Naruto declared, invading the girl's personal space before she even realised it and examining her face closely. "You're cute, too. You're Tayuya, right?"

Unnerved, Tayuya barely managed a nod before schooling her face into a scowl.

"Number one rule when you're in my team. Never asu—," Naruto frowned a moment, trying to recall what the word was. "Never assume anything. It will only get you killed, understood?"

It was then that the boy's subordinates would find out that when Naruto used _that _voice, it was nearly impossible, even for Tayuya, to answer in the negative.

**End Flashback**

After that first encounter, Tayuya had acted a bit more respectful but not by much. Naruto didn't mind. He found her attitude a fresh change from the near-worship or the barely tolerance he got from the other shinobis in the Sound Village.

He broke off that train of thought and turned back to the other members of his team.

Gaara was a bit more sociable now. He could crack a few jokes and smiles on occasion and no longer limited himself to one word sentences. Of course, this wasn't much of a surprise since the Tanuki container hardly left his exuberant captain's side, unless either of the two needed to train privately. Ever since a failed attempt on Naruto's life by a power-crazed but weak shinobi a few years ago, Gaara had assigned himself as the blonde's unofficial bodyguard. It seemed fitting.

After all, wasn't it Naruto who had saved Gaara from a life of insanity and loneliness all those years ago? To the redhead, those two things were far worse than any sort of death could be and he now owed the other boy a debt that could not be repaid within any amount of time or with any sacrifice.

Everyone on Naruto's team respected him but it was Gaara who respected him the most. And right next to him was Sakon.

Sakon was the unofficial second-in-command, though officially, that position went to Gaara since he was the stronger of the two. But because the redhead often went with Naruto wherever he went, leadership fell onto Sakon's shoulders when the two disappeared as they were wont to do every other weekend.

Combat-wise, Sakon was a bit stronger than Tayuya, Jiroubo or Kidoumaru since he had Ukon to lend him a hand (literally) sometimes. He was also more thorough than the other three, making sure that none of his enemies were left alive. One would not be wrong by saying that the two-headed preteen wasn't just a little bit obsessive-compulsive.

Jiroubo, who was traveling at the back, was the biggest member of the team and served as the 'muscle', so to speak. He was the team's taijutsu specialist but balanced himself off with a few Doton jutsu. In combat, if ever Tayuya's genjutsu was broken, he was the one who attacked first to catch the enemy off guard.

Naruto enjoyed the orange-haired boy's company and both could sometimes be seen consuming a whole restaurant's weekly supply of food in one sitting for the sake of an eating contest. The score now stood 10-9 in the larger boy's favor.

Kidoumaru, the last member of the team, was their own, personal, most of the time snarky, Bingo Book and then some. He knew all the note worthy shinobis by name if not by sight, knew their general statistics, what field they specialised in and even some of their abilities, thanks to his questioning some of the former missing-nin who were now under Orochimaru.

The spider-nin usually attacked from afar, together with Haku. When no one had spotted them yet and they had time to kill, Haku would paralyze an opponent with his precisely aimed senbon needles and Kidoumaru would go in for the kill though this sort of teamwork between the two had waned the past couple of months ever since an incident in which Kidoumaru had nearly turned into a human pin cushion because of an offhand comment he'd made about Momochi Zabuza that the normally ever-tolerant Haku had not agreed with. Naruto had given them a stern yelling for letting personal matters bring down their battle performance once he had found out.

They weren't perfect, _that_ fact was painfully obvious but they were his team and Naruto could live with those small imperfections so long as they didn't get any of themselves killed (2).

**XXXXXXXX**

Haku squinted underneath his porcelain mask as they neared the edge of the forest a few miles away from the Village of the Sound. He wasn't sure but it seemed that a small caravan was traveling in the direction of the village.

"Taichou," he said, turning to his captain. "There's something you should see."

Naruto put on a burst of speed and was soon at Haku's side with everyone following suit. The blonde shinobi frowned as he saw the caravan. As far as he knew, hardly any traders used them to get into the village. And usually, they were accompanied by one or two Sound-nins to make sure they weren't up to anything.

But before he took any sort of action, he'd have to be sure who exactly was stepping foot on Sound soil.

"Gaara," Naruto inclined his head towards his best friend.

The redhead nodded, sand and chakra already pooling in his palm. While Kidoumaru's spiders would be less conspicuous, they lacked the ability to transmit images to their master and images were what Naruto needed right now.

As soon as the Third Eye had finished forming, Tayuya began forming seals. A moment later and the Eye was no longer visible to the naked eye. The genjutsu Tayuya had performed wasn't the most complex one but it would stop Genins and lower Chuunins from detecting it. Any Jounin worth his salt would recognize a foreign chakra signature almost instantly though but it would take them a while to figure out where it was coming from.

Gaara closed his eyes and the Eye moved towards the unknown contingent.

"Four people on foot, all of them shinobi…," a frown marred the pensive boy's face. "From the Sand. Two Chuunin and two jounin," he reported.

Naruto's mirrored Gaara's frown. While the Sound and Sand were allies, it was rare for any of their shinobis to travel to the other's village, mostly because the Hidden Village of the Sound was exactly that, hidden. And Orochimaru hardly revealed the location of the village to anyone outside of it.

"Can you see inside the caravan?" he questioned.

The redhead boy shook his head. "There's a veil preventing me from seeing inside. The caravan itself is made of expensive wood rarely found in Sand, though. Whatever or whoever's inside must be important."

The Kitsune container nodded. "We can't confront them right now and accuse them of anything without risking a feud between the Sound and Sand," he said to his teammates. "For now, we'll head back to the village as fast as we can and inform nee-chan or tou-san. They might know what's going on."

Everyone nodded in understanding and once the Eye had returned to Gaara, they set off with a burst of speed towards the Sound.

**XXXXXXXX**

**A/N: **And so ends, chapter three. Sorry for the long wait but even the first month of school is torture now.

(1) Taichou means captain. Naruto doesn't let them call him –sama.

(2) Cheesy, I know, but I had to end that part somehow.

**Next Chapter: **Gaara's time in the Sound is up and the revelation of the person in the caravan.


	5. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: **Kishi owns Naruto. I don't.

**A/N: **Well, lookie here. I finally updated. Don't really have anything to say for myself except that I was either procrastinating or I had writer's block. Even with the ridiculously long wait, this thing's shorter than the other chapters. Sorry about that…

Thank you for the reviews. You don't know how much they encourage me to write even more.

And without further ado, I give you…

**XXXXXXXX**

**Chapter Four**

**XXXXXXXX**

Mitarashi Anko hated a lot of things in life. She hated traitors to the Sound, pencil-pushing shinobis, people who didn't know their place, bright days when she felt like killing someone, the way they always grouped dango together in odd numbers and never even numbers…well, you get the idea. But the thing that Anko hated the most was probably writing reports.

She usually didn't have that kind of problem since she had the disabled shinobi Kuno Toushiro writing her reports for her. Kuno, who her father had kept around to be his errand boy, had acted like a fool around Orochimaru and had paid by spending a week in the Infirmary due to two broken arms and a fractured leg. Anko now had nobody to do her paperwork for her.

Thinking about it now, she supposed it was a blessing in disguise. Orochimaru had started suspecting she wasn't the one actually writing the reports but had made no moves to reprimand her as of yet. The kunoichi made a mental note to break Kuno's other leg and maybe his spine for dotting her I's with hearts and not _actual _dots.

She idly considered using a Katon jutsu on the reports she was holding but thought better of it. Using a jutsu on the abominations would be a waste of her chakra. She heaved a sigh and prayed to the high heavens that something better would come up and distract her.

The kunoichi paused in her steps when seven figures appeared and kneeled in front of her. The one in the center stayed standing though.

Anko peered at them over the papers. "Otouto?" She blinked before smiling brightly. There was a Kami after all. "What's up?" She blinked again when she noticed the serious expression on her younger brother's face.

"There's a contingent from the Sand heading our way," reported Naruto. "Four shinobis accompanying a caravan, two Chuunin and two Jounin. Contents of the caravan are unknown. ETA is 45 minutes, 15 if they know our exact location, which I doubt."

A brief thought of coercing the blonde to do her reports for her entered Anko's mind before it settled on more important matters. Her eyebrows knitted together as she digested the information.

_Already?_

Drawing in a breath, she started giving out orders. "Naruto, get to your room, take a shower and get dressed in your best clothes. Gaara, you come with me. Everybody else, head back and escort the diplomants from the Sand to the East Gate. Be courteous. Got me?"

Everyone voiced their agreement, save Naruto, who was still confused with his orders. Anko turned on her heel and left, Gaara swiftly following behind her. The others all nodded at their captain before leaving as well.

The Kitsune container ran his hand through his hair, trying to figure out why his sister had issued such a strange order. He had recalled just a few minutes ago that Gaara would be leaving soon but he had thought that he still had a few months. Nonetheless, the change of schedule would not affect anything. After they carried out their plans for Konoha's invasion, the redhead would return to the Sound, damn the consequences with the Sand.

But what the hell did taking a shower and his best clothes have to do with saying goodbye to Gaara!

Naruto was brought out of his musings when he felt a kunai whizzing towards him. In the blink of an eye, he had blocked it with one of his own, the other kunai falling uselessly to the ground.

"Sometime today would be nice, bozu," remarked Anko from far down the long hallway.

He smirked at his sister's actions before heading towards his quarters.

**XXXXXXXX**

The blonde captain shrugged on his best jacket before running a hand through his still damp hair as he briefly checked himself over in the mirror. He had foregone a yukata, mainly because it didn't allow easy movement. Should something happen, Naruto wanted to be quick to react and a yukata hindered more than it helped.

Naruto's senses perked when he heard footsteps and felt a familiar chakra signature. They both stopped at his door.

"What is it, Kimimaro?" questioned the boy.

"Orochimaru-sama requested that I escort you to the East Gate, Naruto-sama," answered the white-haired teenager.

The boy's eyebrows drew together in a frown. If his father had asked the Kaguya to escort him, then he meant business. It was a quirk of his, Naruto had found out. Whenever there was a diplomatic matter at hand, Orochimaru would always ask for Kimimaro's presence, if only to show off to whatever diplomat he was tolerating at the moment that he had a powerful Kaguya who wouldn't hesitate to slice the politician up should the man displease the Snake Sannin in any way.

Of course, the diplomat would never find out that the teenager was sick.

"Have the people from the Sand arrived?" asked Naruto as he stepped outside of his room.

"We expect them to arrive at any minute, Naruto-sama," was the answer.

He nodded and the two set a brisk pace towards the East Gate.

**XXXXXXXX**

Orochimaru's snake-like eyes were pensive as he stared towards the forest, waiting for the party from the Sand. While waiting, he weighed the pros and cons of this meeting inside his head.

On one hand, the Sand-Sound relations would be stronger after this meeting and the Sand would have be less suspicious of their ally. On the other hand, the Sound would be losing a strong member and his son would be losing his best friend.

_But Gaara-kun won't be away for too long_, thought Orochimaru with a smirk. His plans would soon be set in motion…

Gaara bristling and Anko growing increasingly watchful made the rogue Sannin snap himself out of his thoughts. The smirk widened as the caravan and nine shinobi came into view. Five of the shinobis bowed before him before taking their places, flanking him, ready to respond to any threat from their guests.

The veil covering the caravan opening was pushed aside and an aged, slightly hunched figure stepped out. It took a moment for Orochimaru to recall who this was, such weakling politicians did not concern him very much. Hakase Asano, a diplomat of the Sand, few abilities to speak of but a very good negotiator.

"Orochimaru-san, Anko-san," greeted the man with a bow. The Sand-nins accompanying him did likewise. Hakase's unremarkable brown eyes landed on the child standing to the Sannin's left. "Gaara-san,"

The two Snake Summoners inclined their heads in response while Gaara just stared the politician down with that unwavering look of his. To the man's credit, he didn't flinch.

(Not too far from the Tanuki container, Sakon grumbled under his breath before flipping a coin towards a grinning Kidoumaru.)

"And where is your son, Orochimaru-san?"

"Right here," spoke Naruto as he and Kimimaro arrived. "I apologize for my tardiness," he said as he bowed slightly towards the Sand diplomat.

"You aren't late at all," interjected Orochimaru, placing hand on the blonde's shoulder. He turned his attention back to the diplomat. "Hakase-san, this is my son, Naruto, and one of his friends," he indicated the white-haired teenager that had accompanied his child. "Kaguya Kimimaro."

The two Sand Chuunins tensed at the name while the Jounins looked merely surprised.

"I see," Hakase looked just a tiny bit paler.

Orochimaru hid his triumphant smirk. "Hakase-san, I was under the impression that _this_ wouldn't happen until two months frow now," he said silkily.

Hakase bowed once again. "I apologize, Orochimaru-san, but Kazekage-sama is eager to see his son again. It's been too long, after all,"

Simultaneously, Anko and Naruto both went into coughing fits before apologizing rather insincerely. Gaara only rolled his eyes.

"I see. And the other part of the agreement?"

The politician shot a glance towards the caravan. "Kazekage-sama decided that they should get to know each other first before the wedding takes place."

**XXXXXXXX**

Naruto had been confused when his father had asked about the other part of the agreement. As far as he knew, there was only one part and that concerned his best friend. Orochimaru did not provide an answer to his unspoken question, though, but the diplomat answered it soon enough.

He had to tamp down the urge to look surprised when a wedding was mentioned. He glanced sideways at Anko, who seemed to be avoiding his gaze, that or she had developed such an interest in trees that she was making a point of examining its bark. Was his nee-chan going into an arranged marriage? Naruto gritted his teeth at the thought. He wouldn't allow it. His sister deserved better than a Sand brat.

The blonde was about to voice his thoughts when Hakase spoke again, seemingly addressing the caravan.

"Temari-san,"

_What kind of sissy boy would be…_

And then it hit him. His sneer disappeared and his jaw slackened.

Gaara had mentioned a girl of the same name once or twice in passing. The Kazekage had a daughter named Temari, who was just a few years older than him.

So unless the Kazekage and his father had allowed their daughters to participate in such a marriage, Naruto was the 'lucky' bridegroom.

Faced with such shocking information, a lot of grown men, not to mention pre-pubescent boys would have fainted. Naruto did not and he probably owed that to his training. However, his brain did go blank and he lost the ability of higher thought. Of course, a pretty girl coming out of the caravan did not help matters any.

The blonde girl bowed respectfully, if a little stiffly, before Sound's First Family. "Ohayo gozaimasu. I am Sabaku no Temari."

Naruto's blank eyes traveled from the expensive-looking wooden transportation to the girl's expensive-looking kimono to her sharp, very subtly aristocratic face. And as he always did when he wasn't thinking straight (or at all), he blurted out the first thing to come to mind. "Temari-hime," he declared with a smile and a head tilt.

The Sand native blinked owlishly at the compliment and a small blush appeared on her cheeks.

(Ten feet away from her, Ukon poked his brother and nodded his head towards their female teammate. Tayuya, for unkown reasons, seemed to have developed a sudden eyetick.)

A mischievous smile appeared on Anko's face as she watched her younger brother and she was suddenly glad that she had come instead of taking a last minute mission. She had hit upon blackmail jackpot!

Hakase clearing his throat prevented a potential war between the Sound siblings. "Gaara-san, we must get going soon," he informed the small redhead. They all knew that Orochimaru inviting them to stay for dinner was as likely as Konoha throwing a party in honor of their S-Class criminals.

Gaara gave the diplomat another withering look before stepping forward and bowing low before the Sound shinobi. "Arigato," he whispered in a voice just loud enough for them to hear. He straightened, gave them a nod and started walking towards the Sand party.

Naruto snapped out of his daze and watched as his best friend walked away, his hand clenching and unclenching. For all their planning of meeting up again soon, it was still hard to say goodbye to a person you'd spent nearly half your short life with. His hand reached up to his necklace, the one he'd had ever since he could remember. "Gaara, matte," he called out, running to his friend. The blonde took off the necklace and thrust it in the other boy's face. "I want you to have this."

The Tanuki container stared at the pendant for a moment before his green eyes traveled to an identical pendant resting above Anko's mesh shirt and then to Orochimaru's earring. Awe, understanding and happiness seeped into his gaze as he finally recognized what it was. The symbol had come to be known as Orochimaru's clan symbol. Those who wore it were considered to be part of the Snake Sannin's (and by extension, Anko's and Naruto's) family.

Receiving a nod of approval from Orochimaru, Gaara took the metal piece. "Arigato," he said as he slipped it on. He gave the assembled Sound-nins a smile before turning back to Hakase, all traces of the smile now gone.

Halfway to the man, Gaara paused in his steps and turned to look at his older sister, expression unreadable. Temari met his eyes with her own hesitant ones. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before the container gave Temari a nod and a very slight smile.

The politician stepped aside as Gaara approached, indicating that the redhead should go into the wooden transportation first. A look was all it took for Hakase to find out that Gaara liked to travel on foot and the aged man quickly entered the caravan. The Sand contingent started moving and Naruto's hand, in an unconscious bid for comfort, came up to grab onto a part of his sister's tan trenchcoat.

Anko blinked slowly and looked down at the blonde. A small smirk made it was to her face as her own hand came to rest on the boy's shoulder. _Spoiled brat._

**XXXXXXXX**

Naruto sighed as he headed to his bedroom. Saying goodbye to Gaara had been emotionally draining for him and now, he just looked forward to a good night's sleep. Although he would never admit it, he also wanted to avoid that Temari girl for the time being. He still needed to come to terms with the fact that he had a fiancee.

All those dreams of living in sin with Tayuya-chan for the rest of his life had now been shaken beyond belief.

He snapped out of his wallowing enough to notice a familiar chakra signature lying in wait behind one of the numerous columns that populated the long hallway.

"Kin-chan? What are you doing there?"

A black-haired girl around his age moved from behind the column to stand in front of him, looking hesitant. She was still an Academy Student but Naruto was good friends with her nevertheless.

"Naruto-sama…is it true that Gaara-san…that he left?" she asked, never taking her eyes off the floor.

The blonde smiled wryly despite his current mood, making at an accurate guess at Kin's reason for asking. "Heard about that, huh?"

Kin nodded stiffly.

"Don't miss him too much, Kin-chan," Naruto told her with an encouraging smile. It was a weakness of his, really. He disliked seeing girls he wasn't trying to kill sad. "You'll see him again real soon."

The student looked confused at this, being too low on the shinobi ladder to be briefed on Orochimaru's plans.

"Ja ne," he gave her a small wave and left in a better, though not by much, mood.

**XXXXXXXX**

**A/N: **Well, I've revealed Gaara's pairing for this story. I want to give my apologies to those who were hoping for Kin to be one of Naruto's pairings.

So who's Naruto's third and (possibly) final girl? Hehe…Wouldn't you like to know? Bwahahahaha!

Ahem…On to more important matters…

This was supposed to be longer, with Anko forcing Naruto and Temari on a date of sorts, to get to know one another, at a restaurant, complete with entourage (aka all of Naruto's team) with them. But I just couldn't find the…inspiration to finish that part. Right now, it's only halfway done but I don't think I'll add it to the story anytime soon, maybe as an interlude between timeskips in the later chapters but we'll see about that.

_Next chapter: Naruto gets to know Temari and trains her up a bit and..some other stuff I'll think of soon. _


	6. Chapter Five

**Author's Notes:** Not enough groveling and excuses can make up for leaving this for so long and for those, who bothered to still keep this in their favorites, this chapter's for you. You've got my Beta to thank for nagging and chaining me to the computer until I finished this chapter. So, hats off to ya, Shimotsuki. God knows you've put up with a lot from me. 

**Disclaimer: **With the direction that the manga is heading, I'm not sure I even want to own Naruto…Oh, who am I kidding? Of course, I want to own Naruto! Unfortunately, I've just been informed that wanting and having are two completely different things.

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**CHAPTER FIVE**

**X!X!X!X!X!X!X!X**

The sun was just beginning to peak over the mountains that surrounded the Hidden Village of Sound as one young shinobi made his way to his team's meeting place. Naruto's hands were stuck in his pockets as he traveled leisurely to where his team was waiting, an abandoned look out post near the edge of the woods that covered the other side of the Village. It was a bit of a walk from the village, true, but the walk gave Naruto some time to himself.

He rather liked taking the walk to their 'dingy little tree house' as Tayuya had once put it. It relaxed him and gave him time to think. And now, more than ever, did he have something to think about.

With his sudden engagement to someone he barely knew he figured he warranted some alone time.

Temari…he could vaguely recall a blonde Academy student standing in front of her brother, teal eyes daring him to come closer while still containing a touch of nervousness. She was brave, he'd give her that, but it was hardly enough for him to marry her over under normal circumstances. She intrigued him, true, but his interest would probably waver before long if that was her only remarkable trait.

The unmistakable sound of someone training caught the attention of his honed senses and brought him out of his musings.

_Strange. Hardly anybody uses this part of the forest to train,_ Naruto thought with a frown as he followed the sounds. As he drew closer to his destination, he started to recognize the trees he was passing. The clearing up ahead was where he staged mock tournaments between his teammates to make sure none of them were getting rusty.

The young captain soon reached the place and quickly hid himself in a tree, observing the lone occupant of the grounds. An amused smile appeared on his lips when he realized who it was.

_Speak of the devil._

Sabaku no Temari was going through a few basic katas on the ground below. While that would hardly amuse Naruto, the fact that she did it with a battle fan bigger than herself did.

Every swing of her fan brought forth a great gust of wind. It wasn't enough to topple the large tress around her but it did make them creak a little, making it clear to the jinchuuriki that she wasn't infusing any chakra in her swings. If she were, the trees would have been cut cleanly into two pieces.

Naruto watched as Temari paused in her kata, wiping sweat from her brow. Her hand reached for her fan, presumably to start her katas again. But as quick as a flash, she turned and threw a kunai in the blonde boy's direction.

_Shit!_

He hadn't expected her to sense him! Before he could react, the kunai buried itself into his stomach. Naruto fell to the forest floor stiffly, unmoving.

X!X!X!X!X!X!X!X

Temari watched in disinterest as a body fell from the tree she'd thrown her kunai at, said weapon stuck in her victim's stomach.

_I'm sure the Sound could do with one less weakling,_ she thought with a slight sneer.

Her eyes widened in horror, though, when she saw who it was that she had hit. Images of destructive war between Sand and Sound flashed through her mind, innocents killed for the sake of revenge, all her fault. Her panic turned to confusion when her fiancé poofed into a log.

_Kawarimi?_

"Great aim, hime-chan!" a fully alive and mobile Mitarashi Naruto said cheerfully as he emerged from a cluster of tress, clapping his hands enthusiastically.

The Sand kunoichi scowled at him, angry that he had made her, someone usually very composed, panic.

The boy seemed to be oblivious to her animosity, however. "You know, for someone who uses a weapon with wide range, I didn't think you'd have such precise aim," mused Naruto out loud as he kicked the log that had been his replacement and which now had a kunai stuck in the middle of it.

Temari gave an indignant snort. "Well, I had to have something to fall back on if ever I didn't have my fan," she responded.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her. "Wouldn't that put you at a disadvantage, then? If someone could get close enough to relieve you of your fan, then wouldn't said person be able to get close again to disarm you of your other weapons? Then what would you do?"

"I don't intend to let him get close again," she replied in a point-blank manner.

Approval shone clearly in his blue eyes though the kunoichi hardly gave a damn. He might be her fiancé but she didn't need his approval for anything. Then again, it was a nice change from Baki-sensei neglecting her in favor of Kankuro. _And just because he's male_, she mentally grumbled.

"While it's true that some shinobi might not get close again, there are a lot more who can. With your specialty being long-ranged attacks, you wouldn't last long in a hand-to-hand fight. You'd be dead with a snap," the jinchuuriki snapped his fingers to illustrate his point.

Temari considered his words and knew that he was right. But there were hardly any shinobi in the sand who had the time or patience to teach a kunoichi, let alone a genin, close quarter combat, even if the kunoichi in question was the Kazekage's only daughter.

"You're still a genin, aren't you, hime-chan?" asked Naruto out of the blue.

She nodded stiffly in reply a bit bothered by his nickname for her and secretly ashamed that she still had such a low rank.

He adopted a thinking pose for a moment before he grinned, showing off white teeth and elongated canines. "Tell you what, I'll train you in close quarter combat."

She blinked at his statement. Was he serious? He was two years younger than her, not even an official shinobi and he was offering to train her? Although she'd already heard tales of how great 'Naruto-sama' was she doubted any of them were true. The shinobi back in the Sand always embellished Kankuro's accomplishments over her own, and she figured that was the same here. The Sound-nins were simply favoring their leader's son instead of the older daughter. And no, she wasn't bitter, goddammit.

"Well…um…"

"Is that doubt I hear in your voice, hime-chan?" Naruto drew closer to her, examining the girl's eyes intently.

Temari drew back slightly, uncomfortable with his close proximity. Hers wasn't a close-knit family so she wasn't used to hugs or even pats on the head. Heck, if they could manage it, they stayed as far away from each other as they could.

The boy seemed to get the message and drew away fully, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. A moment later, a wide grin appeared on his face, unnerving his fiancé somewhat. "Let's make a bet, hime-chan. If you can defeat one of my subordinates slash teammates in a spar, I will admit I'm not fit to train you. However, if my team mate wins, you will submit to my training."

She considered it for a moment then nodded. It was a win-win situation for her, after all. If she won, she would know that all those stories about 'the great Naruto-sama' were just that, stories. And if she lost, she'd be training under someone who probably had a lot to teach her if even his subordinates beat her. "Sounds fair enough," she replied.

Another smile formed on Naruto's face before he bent down to pick up a leaf. He placed the leaf in his mouth and started on a short series of handseals. When he finished, he brought one hand up to the leaf and blew on it while he moved it slowly to the side.

For the second time that day, Temari blinked in confusion. What did he waste his chakra for? Nothing seemed to be happening. She was proven wrong a second later when figures started appearing on nearby tree branches. There seemed to be five of them in all. As one, the figures jumped down on to the ground and Temari recognized them as the caravan's escort the day before. With these arrivals, her sharp mind immediately deduced what Naruto had been doing the leaf.

_He must have produced a sound high enough to escape a normal human's ears but not for those who've trained for years if not their whole lives in the Village of Sound,_ she thought to herself, inwardly marveling at the ingenuity coming from one so young as Naruto.

"You summoned us, taichou?" spoke the large boy with orange hair.

Naruto nodded before giving the only girl of the team a cheeky wave. The redhead glared back at the blonde captain in return.

"You could have just come to tell us, ya dipshit taichou. You didn't have to whistle for us as if we were fucking animals," grumbled the girl as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"And leave our guest all alone?" Naruto spoke as if the very idea was preposterous.

Barely, Temari heard the six-armed boy sigh, "Taichou's being dramatic again."

"What is it you called us for, taichou?" spoke the boy (girl?) with the long black hair.

"Oh, right," the change from a smiling idiot to calm, commanding captain was so sudden it made Temari blink. She wasn't the only one to notice, either. The others in the clearing straightened their postures and looked even more attentive, even the girl who'd been rude before.

"Temari-san and I have made a bet of sorts. One of you will spar with her. If she wins, I'll admit that I'm not fit to train her but if she loses, she'll have to submit to my training," said Naruto in a no-nonsense voice. "But before she chooses one of you as her sparring partner, you'll have to introduce yourselves to her first."

"Kidoumaru," the six-armed boy gave her a nod.

"My name is Jiroubo," said the large, orange-haired one, bowing respectfully.

The seemingly androgynous member of the team also bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Temari-san. I am Haku."

The redhead gave her a sideways look, barely acknowledging her. "Tayuya," she grunted.

"Sakon."

"Ukon."

Her eyes widened in shock when another voice came from the back of Sakon's head. And identical head slowly rotated so that it was right beside Sakon's.

"It's a jutsu. They're not really conjoined," Naruto informed her with an amused look at her expense.

"Aww, taichou, you just ruined all our fun," complained a pouting Ukon. "You know the chicks dig the whole conjoined twins thing. Two for the price of one, you know."

Tayuya snorted. "What world do you live in, fag? No girl in her right mind would go within ten feet of you, let alone date either of you while you're joined like that."

"So you're saying I could get laid if I'm by myself?" inquired Sakon.

"As long as you don't open your mouth, maybe," sneered the girl.

Kidoumaru sneered at that comment and joined in. "Funny. I always thought that you'd get more date offers if you kept _your _mouth shut, Tayuya,"

The redhead glared at the spider-nin, already stalking dangerously towards him. "You want to say that again, spider boy?" she demanded.

He smirked fearlessly. "I said that if you'd just shut your mouth once in a while—"

Haku quickly intervened and Temari quickly pegged him as the pacifist of the group. "Actually, the only reason Tayuya-san isn't getting any date offers is because she's always busy and well…there's taichou."

Naruto flashed a huge grin and the peace sign when everyone turned to look at him at Haku's comment. Somehow, the Sand kunoichi had a hard time reconciling him with the commanding person he'd been just moments ago.

Tayuya scoffed. "As if I'd even go out with any regular village idiot, anyway."

Kidoumaru leaned closer to Temari, speaking in a stage whisper. "Yeah, she only goes out with the spectacularly idiotic ones," he whispered conspirationally.

_Bad idea, spider boy, _thought the Sand genin as she noticed the other girl's hands slowly forming into fists. She hardly knew Tayuya but she knew that anyone who insulted a girl like that could only get by without being seriously harmed for so long. And it seemed as if Tayuya had just hit her breaking point.

Much to everybody's surprise, the redhead's tight fists gradually relaxed into open palms. "Taichou," started Tayuya in a surprisingly calm voice. "Anko-sama taught me a new jutsu last week. I believe that Kidoumaru will greatly benefit from it. Would you mind if I show it to him?"

Judging by the looks on the other shinobi's faces, Temari guessed that Kidoumaru was really going to get it good.

Naruto smirked. "Go right ahead, Tayuya-chan. You know I've always encouraged everyone to show their talents." The look he sent his six-armed teammate clearly said that he deserved whatever he had coming to him.

An identical smirk formed on the redhead's face as Kidoumaru started to sweat a little. The girl started on a complicated series of seals and ended on the Tiger seal. By this time, Kidoumaru was already running away as if his very life depended on it.

"Ultimate Kinjutsu: One Thousand Years of Pain!"

The spider-nin was sent flying through the air, clutching his rear end and cursing in a way that would have made his purple-haired superior proud. Laughter filled the clearing as Sakon rolled around the ground in hysterics and Naruto leaned against a tree trunk to support himself. Temari watched the dark-skinned boy fly and laughed lightly while making a mental note to ask to be taught that jutsu later. Haku was muffling his chuckles and Jiroubo was shaking his head although he had a slight smile on his face.

"Tayuya, a woman shouldn't—"

"Stuff it, fathead." This was said with less malice than usual since Tayuya was far too smug to let Jiroubo's comments on how a woman should or shouldn't be get to her.

Finally, Naruto's laughing died down and he turned to Temari but not before he gave his redhead team mate an approving smile. "Have you chosen your sparring partner, yet?" he asked her, still smiling.

Kidoumaru chose that time to rejoin the group, rubbing his backside and muttering about the insane headcases who didn't know how to take a joke.

Temari swept her eyes over the others, analyzing them quickly. She didn't want to pick the girl, if only because she didn't want to fight someone of her own gender right then. If she wanted that, she could have stayed in Sand. Not that she had left of her own volition, of course. She hadn't had any choice in the matter. The blonde girl pushed those depressing thoughts away before finally deciding on her sparring partner.

"I pick Haku," she gestured towards the effeminate one who stepped forward as soon as his name was called.

Haku exchanged a few hushed words with his captain before both turned to Temari. "Alright then. Rules of the spar, anything except lethal means is allowed and it stops when one of you yields or when I say so. You're free to use anything at your disposal. Understand?"

Both voiced their agreements.

"Right. Hajime!"

Temari opened her fan fully, poised to move at any moment, opting not to take any chances. Her opponent smiled serenely at her and bowed. "Let's have a good battle, Temari-san." And with that, he disappeared.

The kunoichi's eyes widened. _Fast._

Several somethings whizzing through the air alerted her senses and she jumped back, swinging her fan as she did. She took a quick glance at her surroundings and realized she was the only one left in the clearing. _The others must have moved to avoid injury, _she guessed. Her eyes widened, though, when she saw the things that had been about to impale her. _Ice? What the hell?(!) _She snapped herself out of her shock and examined the way the ice shards were stuck in the ground. Temari's sharp mind quickly calculated how much her actions would have affected their trajectory and deduced where they had come from.

A quick swing of her fan cleanly cut off several branches of the trees 47 degrees to her right, thus effectively eliminating any perch for a shinobi.

"Very impressive, Temari-san. If I had reacted a few seconds later than I did, you would have won our match," said Haku as he reappeared on a bare branch on another tree. "But it seems that taichou wishes to train you and I refuse to be the one to disappoint him." The dark-haired boy rapidly started forming hand seals.

Temari's eyes narrowed at this as she felt the air around her grow heavier and damper. Instinct was telling her that she couldn't afford to let him finish that jutsu. Gather chakra of her own, she swung her fan. "Dai Kamaitachi!"

Haku stopped his handseals abruptly, moving to dodge the strong gust of wind. He was not as lucky as the last time, though. His entire right sleeve was torn to shreds and it was clear that his right arm would be hard to work with for a while.

The kunoichi smiled to herself. Those wounds would undoubtedly hinder his execution of jutsu.

Haku seemed to smile before bringing his left hand up to chest-level.

_Is…Is he forming seals with one hand? _So surprised was she with this turn of events that she barely noticed him throwing a kunai with his injured harm until the last minute when it was already too late to stop the kunai from nailing her fan to a tree. Temari gritted her teeth, berating herself for letting her guard down in her moment of shock. Knowing she did not have enough time to retrieve her primary weapon before he pulled off whatever he was trying to do, she pulled out her own kunai, throwing it at her opponent.

Haku merely deflected it with another kunai just as he finished with his seals. The heaviness of the air around Temari reached new levels and she could feel her clothes getting damp.

"Makyou Housho," said Haku simply as giant slabs of ice started to form a dome around the Sand-nin. He disappeared from his perch and images of him started appearing on each of the slabs.

"Bloodline," Temari murmured under her breath.

"Correct, Temari-san," came the boy's voice. "This is one of my bloodline's ultimate jutsu."

She frowned, her eyes daring around as she tried to place the direction the voice had come from. Take out a handful of kunai, she threw it to her left but all of the weapons bounced harmlessly off the mirrors. "Nani?"

"Each of these mirrors are infused with chakra. Unless your kunai are infused with a greater amount of chakra, they are useless," Haku's voice rang out again.

Out of the corner of her eye, Temari saw her fan still stuck to the tree. _If I can't assault you from the inside, then perhaps I can assault you from the outside._ She glanced around, looking for the biggest gap between mirrors. _Above! _She focused chakra to her feet and jumped, freedom getting closer and closer. A quick movement from the corner of her eye alerted her but being off of the ground, she'd lost traction and her hopes of freedom were dashed ruthlessly when Haku slammed her back down to the ground.

Temari let out a string of expletives as she got up, glaring at the images around her while trying to regain the breath that had been knocked out of her. The effeminate boy was nowhere to be seen once again.

Hoping to make another dash for it, she aimed for a gap between two of the lower mirrors. If she could just…The kunai she'd been gripping in her hand dropped limply to the forest floor when she felt sharp steel against her throat.

"I suggest you yield, Temari-san," Haku whispered into her ear.

The kunoichi gritted her teeth but knew that the smartest option was to give up. There were no more possible moves, well, none that she could do anyway. She gave a stiff nod to show her surrender.

Haku's hand fell away from her throat and the mirrors immediately vanished.

"Well," started Naruto dryly as he dropped back down into the clearing along with the others. "That was completely pathetic."

Temari glared at him but said nothing as she marched off towards her fan and deftly removed the projectile that was pinning it to a tree. She frowned as she looked over the damage that had been done to it. It would need something to cover the small hole that had been made in it but was otherwise fine.

"We can have that repaired easily," came Naruto's voice from beside her and not for the first time, Temari wondered just how bad she really was as a shinobi to let him creep up on her without noticing.

"I would appreciate it," the Sand kunoichi murmured with a small inclination of her head.

"But before that or anything else, for that matter, you've got to have the most important thing for a growing shinobi," said the blonde boy in a serious tone.

Temari blinked in confusion.

A large grin. "Breakfast, of course! You can't start a day without it. Now, c'mon, Jirobou knows a nice breakfast joint in a village not too far away from here."

Not too long after that, Temari took her first breakfast with the Sound-nins who would later become the closest thing to family and friends she'd ever had, more than her own flesh and blood, not to mention, the most sadistic set of coaches (Naruto, most of all) she'd ever had the misfortune to meet.

**X!X!X!X!X!X!X!X**

**Author's Notes:** And Chapter Five officially ends. I'm not used to writing fight scenes so I'd like some comments and corrections on it and some suggestions too.

Also, I'm taking my cue from Vesvius and making them older than their canon selves. It's just easier to write the romantic aspects of the story that way.

**Next Chapter:**_Timeskip! Something happens to Temari, Naruto cares and a clan gets massacred. Plus, a surprise appearance by Anko's…boyfriend?(!)_

Don't worry. I swear it's not going to take so long to get that chapter up.


	7. Chapter Six

**Author's Notes**: Bah! I should stop making deadlines for myself. I never follow them anyways. As stated before, there will be a timeskip in this chapter. It's been three years since Temari's arrival at Sound. It's also shorter than the last chapter by a page or two. 

Also, thanks to **Shimotsuki**, for his beta work.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. Never have, never will.

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**CHAPTER SIX**

**X!X!X!X!X!X!X!X**

It was with heavy eyes and several groans that the resident Sand kunoichi of the Sound greeted the morning. She mentally ran through the things she had to do for the day and let out a grateful sigh when she realized that there wasn't too much to do and snuggled back under her covers. When sleep didn't consume her once again, her mind started to wander aimlessly before finally settling on the years she'd spent in the village.

For the last three years of Temari's life, she had been put through what Naruto deemed 'training'. To the Sand kunoichi (why she wasn't a Sound-nin yet remained a mystery to her), it had been pure, simple _hell_. When her fiancé (once again, she didn't know why he wasn't her husband yet) hadn't been instructing her in the swift and precise taijutsu style he'd decided to train her in, she had been picking up various things from his various teammates. And when all of them had been out on missions, she had been training under her supremely sadistic future sister-in-law. They were three very informative years, true, but that didn't stop them from being hellish.

During those three years she spent in Sound, she got to know Naruto well enough to say they were close friends though she point-blank refused to hear anything about their very long engagement. Every time someone else did, she ignored it or subtly (and not so subtly) changed the subject.

Temari also gradually made friends with several of the shinobi there, particularly Naruto's team, since they were the people she spent most of her time around. She got along well enough with everybody on the team, especially Haku, Sakon and Ukon. The others, however…Jiroubo sometimes got on her nerves with all his comments about how a woman should be and Kidoumaru had the tendency to irritate her just for the heck of it.

As for Tayuya…for some reason, although they talked often enough, there was always some underlying tension whenever she was alone with the redhead. It was never really enough to hinder any sort of cooperation or friendship, though. The Sand-nin guessed it had something to do with Naruto's attraction with the musician and not for the first time, she wondered if Tayuya returned that attraction, despite all the harsh names she called the blonde boy. She'd noticed how the other girl would react whenever Naruto would get hurt in a mock battle with his sister ("Fucking dipshit! How the hell did a shithead like you get to be our taichou when you're so fucking careless? Would you hold still, you stupid bastard? You're going to lose even more blood!") and when he complimented her looks ("Huh? Oh…um…really?…I mean, who the hell asked your opinion, asshole? **blush**").

Yes, Temari decided sagely, there was definitely attraction on both sides. She supposed she was a _little_ jealous about it. After all, the guy was _her _fiancé. Then again, this attraction had probably been there long before she had arrived in Sound. If she hadn't come, maybe they'd have gotten together eventually.

An image of Tayuya threatening to cut Naruto's balls off with a rusty kunai for dragging her under the mistletoe last Christmas suddenly appeared in her mind.

_Or not, _she thought with a wry grin as she got off her bed and headed towards the shower. Even if she hadn't come to Sound, those two wouldn't have gotten together for a long time yet, unless some powerful, divine power interceded.

Minutes later, she emerged, dressed in a silk robe, one of the few pieces of clothing she'd brought over from Sand, and drying her hair with a towel. Her teal eyes darted towards the calendar nearby and she couldn't help but smile at the realization that Naruto and his team were due back from a mission any minute now.

Hoping to greet them with an exploding trap or fifty, Temari quickly donned her clothes and made towards the West Gate, a sadistic smirk on her face. It was just about time for some payback for all those hellish years.

X!X!X!X!X!X!X!X 

As it turned out, she didn't have time to set up the traps. They were already entering the village and definitely looking they'd already gone through several trap-infested forests.

"What the hell happened to you?" she blurted out as a burnt Jiroubo passed by, carrying an unconscious Haku on his back.

"Some filthy bastards ambushed us as soon as we came back," Tayuya muttered, sporting several deep cuts and a limp leg. She was leaning against a makeshift cane for support. "Turns out they were waiting for us. We were deliberately targeted."

Temari frowned at this piece of information even as she took away the badly made walking stick and compelled the other girl to lean on her instead. Together, with the redhead's arm around Temari's neck, they started walking towards the Medical Wing, closely behind Jiroubo and Haku. "None of you have ever come back from a mission, no matter how dangerous, this heavily injured before," she stated, catching sight of the large gash on Haku's back. Any deeper and it would have probably severed his spinal cord.

"That's because whenever we got injured, Haku would always patch us up before it got too dangerous," replied Tayuya, shooting her teammate a concerned look. "The fucktards seemed to know that and they targeted him first."

"I see," the Sand kunoichi murmured. She looked back, expecting to see the rest of the team following them. When she didn't, her heart nearly stopped beating and she froze in her tracks, almost sending an off-balance Tayuya face first onto the floor.

"Geez! What the fuck gives, Temari?"

"N-Naruto…Kidoumaru and the twins, where are they?" she asked, eyes wide at the possibly that…that…

Tayuya rolled her eyes. "They're alive so you can stop your spazzing already. Taichou just wanted to get one of the fuckers alive for questioning and the other two dipshits are covering his back. They'll be fine," she assured her. "Taichou's one of the hardest people on the continent to kill. Spiderboy and the fag won't go down without fights, either."

"Oh…good," murmured Temari. Relieved that they were going to be alright, her mind wandered elsewhere. The 'fucker', as Tayuya had put it, would probably be handed over to Anko to squeeze any information he held out of him. _Maybe Anko-san could use some help in interrogating him_, the blonde thought with a vicious look. She'd been hoping to try out her interrogation skills on a live subject for some time now but Naruto had always forgotten to bring someone from his missions.

A thought occurred to her then. As Tayuya had said, Naruto and the others were hard people to kill. Naturally, anyone who could do this to them would probably be incredibly strong or just had an overwhelming amount of human resources.

"Tayuya, were the people who ambushed you really strong? Or were there just too many of them?"

The redhead blinked at the question, then frowned as she contemplated the answer. "Numbers we can deal with easily. Taichou's made sure of that," she grumbled as she thought back to her own training under the blonde jinchuuriki. "These guys, though, they had numbers _and_ power." Her frown deepened. "And it wasn't a natural strength, either. It was as if they were on power enhancers or something." She shrugged this time. "But we're pretty sure we killed all the fuckers like them. Didn't feel like anyone was watching and waiting."

Temari made a noise of understanding as they entered the Medical Wing and several medic-nins relieved her of her friend. "I'm going to go wait for them," she said, already heading towards the door. "You going to be alright?"

"Pfft, I'll be fine," Tayuya gave her a dismissive wave as she was set down on a cot. "Give that bastard taichou a slap if he's being too serious for me, okay?"

The blonde kunoichi grinned. "Yeah. Will do." The grin disappeared when she started her walk back towards the Gate, though. It wasn't really a surprise that they would be attacked. Two or three of the several ninja/warrior clans that occupied Rice Country had resented the Village ever since it had taken up residence in the country. But the attacks were usually spur of the moment and had never been sufficiently organized enough to pose a threat. The ambush and the early elimination of the team's medic implied that it had all been planned and that the attackers at least had basic knowledge of the team structure. But which clan would have access to that kind of information? Officially, Naruto's team did not exist. They didn't leave any paper trails and none of the members were even registered as shinobi.

_Who, indeed?_ Temari wondered as she reached the gate. Still immersed in her thoughts yet aware of her surroundings, she leaned against a tree and mentally ran a list of the Sound ninja she knew and any connections they might have to the rival clans. She was starting to have suspicions but before she could come up with anything concrete, a sound coming from behind her alerted her of the fact that she was no longer alone.

Her hand started to reach for her weapon pouch but right as she was about to reach for the flap, her whole body froze.

_What—Kanashibari? _

"Heh, so you're that brat's princess, eh?" was the last thing she heard before a swift chop to the neck knocked her unconscious.

X!X!X!X!X!X!X!X 

It was with a stony expression that Naruto threw his prisoner into a cell and closed the door with a slam.

"You better hope Haku doesn't die, you bastard," he growled at the injured man. With that, he swiveled on his foot and left for the Medical Wing.

"You think he'll talk, taichou?" asked Kidoumaru, a large cut on the side of his face. Besides Naruto, who had Kyuubi to take care of all his wounds, he was the least injured and had opted to help his captain with the prisoner, instead of following Sakon to get treated.

"Right now, a part of me is hoping he won't," Naruto muttered darkly. He considered all the members of the team very important to him and if anybody hurt them gravely, he made sure there was hell to pay. But if death wasn't an option just yet, being under his sister's 'tender, loving care' was the next best thing. "But if he does have something to say, nee-chan will make sure to get it out of him."

Kidoumaru chuckled. "I almost feel sorry for the guy. Almost,"

Naruto smirked at that comment as they entered the Medical Wing, which wasn't too far from the Interrogation Rooms. The distance wasn't coincidental. The interrogators often had to call medic-nins over to make sure none of the prisoners died during an interrogation. As soon as they entered the wing, Kidoumaru bid his leader goodbye and went to get treated.

"Oi, taichou," Tayuya called out from her bed. "Did you get one?"

The blonde captain nodded as he walked over to the redhead. "I'm going to go find nee-chan in a few minutes so she can get started on him. What did the medics say?"

Tayuya shrugged. "I'm going to be fine but the faggots say I have to stay off my leg for a week or two. Fucking retards," she said, muttering the last part under her breath and causing Naruto to grin at her attitude. It was well known throughout Sound that Tayuya did not like being told that she couldn't do something just because of injury. There had been an incident when she had just started going on missions where she had intentionally disregarded the medic's orders. She'd had to stay in bed for 2 weeks because of her stubbornness. Ever since then, she'd decided to follow orders but that certainly didn't mean she was quiet about it. The redhead peered around Naruto, as if expecting to see someone. "So did Temari slap you like I asked her to? You definitely looked too serious for my liking when you came in."

Naruto frowned. "Temari? I haven't seen her yet."

"What? She told me she was going to go wait for you and those two shitheads at the gate," Tayuya mimicked his frown but then shrugged although the frown remained. "Maybe she just got tired and went back to her room."

"Maybe," he nodded, turning towards the door. "But it pays to be sure. I'm going to go check on her. I'll see you later, Tayuya-chan."

"Yeah. See ya, taichou."

X!X!X!X!X!X!X!X 

"WHERE IS SHE?" Naruto roared angrily as he stormed into the interrogation area. The guards all jumped to attention but they were largely ignored as the blonde headed for the cell he'd thrown his prisoner in earlier. He glowered at the man from behind the bars as all of the guards hastily filed out of the room. They had witnessed what happened to prisoners when their leader's son got this way and weren't very eager to witness it again.

"I don't know what you're talking about," coughed the man, clutching his injured arm to his chest.

Naruto slammed his hands against the bars, pacing and snarling outside of the cell. "Don't lie to me, you BASTARD! WHERE DID YOU TAKE HER?(!)" he demanded as he started pacing. He'd searched everywhere, her room, the library, her training grounds, the armory, heck, even the makeshift hotsprings his sister had set up not too long ago. And Temari hadn't been in any of those places. Naturally, Naruto could come up with only one solution. She'd been kidnapped. And his mind had come up with only one suspect. The events, the ambush and then Temari's sudden disappearance, had been too well-timed and too close together to be anything but related.

"Who? I swear to Kami, I don't know what you're talking about!" insisted the prisoner, becoming a bit more frantic when his captor started to radiate red, malovelent chakra.

The blonde jinchuuriki growled out loud, combing a hand through his increasingly wild hair as he continued his pacing. A few minutes later, he stopped in front of the cell, taking a few deep breaths and earning the frightened yet curious gaze of the only other person in the room. Naruto turned back to the man, looking a bit calmer now. He crouched down so he was eye to eye with the older shinobi.

"What's your name?" he asked. While he looked calmer, the tightly leashed anger in his voice was evident.

"T-Touji,"

"Touji-san, you probably have a few precious people in your lives, don't you?" Naruto smirked at the man's wide eyes and went on without waiting for an answer. "Well, I have a few precious people of my own, as well. One of them happens to be the girl your friends kidnapped today. She's got blonde hair she ties up in four ponytails, carries a big fan around, usually wears a Suna forehead protector around her neck and answers to the name of Temari." His smirk widened viciously when he saw realization dawn on Touji. His voice dropped to a whisper as he looked his prisoner in the eyes, his own flashing a menacing red. "Now, Touji-san, let me tell you what's going to happen to your precious people if you don't tell me where Temari is."

Touji tried to back away as the teenager's hand reached through the bars but in his weakened state, he wasn't fast enough for the Sound Elite. He was grabbed by his shirt and pulled against the prison bars hard enough to knock the breath out of him. But breathing was the last thing on his mind when Naruto started speaking directly into his ear, describing in vivid detail the absolute _massacre_ that would occur should Temari not be returned to him. Every severed limb, every mutilated body, _everything_ was described to the most miniscule detal, down to the blood splatters on the wall. And then came what would happen _after. _The sacrificed innocents, the children that would die so snakes, numerous, bloodthirsty snakes the size of houses, could be summoned to feast on and further desecrate the bodies of the dead.

It was simply too much for anyone to take, especially for one who was as unexperienced in mental torture as Touji.

And so Touji broke down, spilling everything he knew. And with each confessed word, Naruto got angrier…and angrier…and _angrier_.

"Bastards," he growled under his breath several minutes later as he wiped Touji's blood—and various other things—off his hands. "After everything tou-san's done for their worthless clan…" His lip curled into a snarl and a dark look was etched onto his features as he strode out of the Interrogation Rooms. He took one last look at his prisoner's body before setting off, leaving it for others to take care of.

Touji had been good for something and that was information Naruto would have otherwise spent days trying to gather. The jinchuuriki was merciful so he would grant the now departed shinobi one, small concession. The massacre wouldn't occur _exactly_ as he had described. But there was no mistake in Naruto's mind on what would happen.

Anyone with the surname of Fuuma who got in his way would die a horrible death. As for the rest of the cretins…che, who really cared what happened to them?

**X!X!X!X!X!X!X!X**

**Author's Notes:** Well, the mass execution of the Fuuma didn't occur in this chapter as I had stated in the previous one. Also, Anko's boyfriend didn't show up either. Have no fear, though, they'll both be in the next chapter.

Until then, see ya.


End file.
